Sports Radio Service


		Farewell to JoePa By Daniel Dullum January 25, 2012

	Judging by the video and photos, it looked like a perfect winter day to hold a memorial service in State College, Pa. If there were such a thing as good football weather to say goodbye to the winningest coach in Division I college football history, this would be it. Fans, players past and present, alumni and friends jammed their way into the private memorial service for Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State mentor, who passed away Sunday at 85 from lung cancer. The Catholic funeral mass at the university’s Spiritual Center ran two hours for the man who coached Penn State to 409 victories, including a pair of national championships. On this day, there was no talk about tawdry rumors or scandals, just remembrances of a man who tried to run a clean program and do right by the university and its students for over four decades. Those who couldn’t get in stood four to five rows deep along the streets, saying a final goodbye as the funeral procession wound its way through the Penn State campus and the town. Jay Paterno, Joe’s son and Penn State quarterback coach, sent out a social media message, thanking everyone who lined the streets for the funeral procession. A sign of the times: When free tickets were distributed for Thursday’s public funeral service at the Bryce Jordan Center, scalpers tried to sell them on eBay. Fortunately, someone at eBay has some ethics, as the online auction house took them down, citing a policy about selling tickets that are free to the public. There you have it – a new definition for tacky. The public funeral reportedly has more than 300 media requests, more than Penn State can accommodate. So the service will be carried live on the Big 10 network and streamed online. Unfortunately, once the memorial services are concluded, there are lawsuits to be settled regarding the allegations of sexual abuse of minors by former PSU assistant Jerry Sandusky – the allegations that led to Paterno’s firing on Nov. 9. That won’t be going away for a while, and don’t be surprised if attorneys now set their sights on Joe Paterno’s estate for civil suits. Bitterness over how Paterno was dismissed hasn’t diminished much in a town where the man was nothing less than an icon. Reportedly, the university trustees have received death threats, according to their legal counsel. That course of action was something JoePa would never approve of. But for at least one or two days, that ugliness has been replaced by an outpouring of love and respect that heads of state don’t often receive. But Joe Paterno deserves it, even if the ending of his life story wasn’t perfect. Daniel Dullum covers the NHL, NFL, Pac-12 and Major League Baseball for Sports Radio Service.com.